7 Celebs Who Got Their Big Break On 'The Cosby Show'

Without a doubt, “The Cosby Show” has gone down in television history as one of the best family sitcoms of the 1980s and 90s. Today, 21 years after the show’s last episode, creator and star Bill Cosby says the series is still changing the game.

In an interview with ABC, the comic and educator said “The Cosby Show” can help teach good parenting skills.

“I based the series on two important things: Number one … I hated those series where the children were brighter than the parents, and those parents had to play dumb,” he said. “Number two was that I wanted to ‘take the house back.’”

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He went on to say, if you want to entertain children “at the expense of parenting, at the expense of keeping children out of harm’s way to get these laughs, to make these parents look stupid, to make kids look like they are ultra-bright but still lost, then we have a problem.”

“[We] parents make it difficult,” he added, “because we want to be well-liked. And I’m not saying that parenting, you shouldn’t want to be well-liked, but you also have to have some kind of judgment.”

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Cosby concluded the interview by revealing that he adopted his parenting skills from his paternal grandfather. “This man had a sense of humor and a sense of warmth,” he said, and “a smooth way of putting me down.”

“The Cosby Show” not only entertained us for eight seasons, but it gave many of Hollywood’s biggest names one of their first acting gigs. Click through the slide to find seven celebs who chopped it up with the Huxtables!

Bill Cosby Explains Why ‘The Cosby Show’ Is A Great Parenting Tool + 7 Celebs Who Appeared As Guest Stars  was originally published on ionehellobeautiful.staging.go.ione.nyc

1. Blair Underwood

Blair Underwood began his career as Denise Huxtable’s boo in the early 80s.

Bill Cosby Explains Why ‘The Cosby Show’ Is A Great Parenting Tool + 7 Celebs Who Appeared As Guest Stars  was originally published on ionehellobeautiful.staging.go.ione.nyc

2. Alicia Keys

Rudy had all her best girlfriends over for a birthday slumber party; one of the girls was a young Alicia Keys.

Bill Cosby Explains Why ‘The Cosby Show’ Is A Great Parenting Tool + 7 Celebs Who Appeared As Guest Stars  was originally published on ionehellobeautiful.staging.go.ione.nyc

3. Essence Atkins

Essence Atkins was one of Vanessa Huxtable’s school friends.

Bill Cosby Explains Why ‘The Cosby Show’ Is A Great Parenting Tool + 7 Celebs Who Appeared As Guest Stars  was originally published on ionehellobeautiful.staging.go.ione.nyc

4. Iman

Iman wasn’t a supermodel on “The Cosby Show;” she was Theo’s teacher Mrs. Montgomery.

Bill Cosby Explains Why ‘The Cosby Show’ Is A Great Parenting Tool + 7 Celebs Who Appeared As Guest Stars  was originally published on ionehellobeautiful.staging.go.ione.nyc

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5. Robin Givens

Given played Suzanne, one of Denise Huxtable’s best friends.

Bill Cosby Explains Why ‘The Cosby Show’ Is A Great Parenting Tool + 7 Celebs Who Appeared As Guest Stars  was originally published on ionehellobeautiful.staging.go.ione.nyc

6. Angela Bassett

Angela Bassett had a guest role on the sitcom as Mrs. Mitchell, a woman from the local community center.

Bill Cosby Explains Why ‘The Cosby Show’ Is A Great Parenting Tool + 7 Celebs Who Appeared As Guest Stars  was originally published on ionehellobeautiful.staging.go.ione.nyc

7. Victoria Rowell

Do you remember who was Olivia’s biological mother? Well, it was soap star Victoria Rowell.

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Bill Cosby Explains Why ‘The Cosby Show’ Is A Great Parenting Tool + 7 Celebs Who Appeared As Guest Stars  was originally published on ionehellobeautiful.staging.go.ione.nyc